Visitors to Ottawa’s Little Italy district are regularly enchanted by its lively European ambiance. If you stroll down Preston Street, you are likely to see families enjoying gelato, couples dining al fresco and seniors enjoying a cappuccino. The diverse neighbourhood is home to 17,000 people and an estimated 280 small businesses.

The Preston Street BIA received a My Main Street non-repayable contribution of $73,500 to support Corso Italia, Revitalized — a project aimed at reinvigorating the streetscape of Ottawa’s Little Italy commercial district. My Main Street is supported by a $23.25-million Government of Canada investment through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario). The Canadian Urban Institute (CUI) is leading the My Main Street Community Activator program, which supports local projects that help drive business and restore vitality to communities across southern Ontario.

For two years, pandemic-related challenges sapped the vitality of the area. For the summer of 2022, Little Italy was excited to welcome people back to Preston Street for shopping, dining and events — but first it needed a makeover. In the spring of 2022, the Preston Street BIA set out to revamp and refresh its main street in time for Italian Week Ottawa, a hugely popular festival that celebrates Italian culture. The project—titled Corso Italia, Revitalized — included three main components: restoration, beautification and animation.

“The initiatives supported by My Main Street funding allowed us to invite the community to explore our main street and created an inviting and vibrant public setting in which to do so,” says Lindsay Childerhouse, executive director of the Preston Street BIA.

The area had not been thoroughly cleaned since before the pandemic. Two years of Ottawa weather, road work and construction projects left a layer of dust and dirt on everything. The Preston Street BIA hired a company to power wash the street, sidewalks, public spaces and murals; in total, they cleaned up 18 city blocks.

In addition to the tired streetscape, the local landmarks were sorely in need of repair. Little Italy’s iconic banner flags—which hang from lamp posts along the main commercial strip — were faded, torn or missing. The Preston Street BIA replaced 240 banner flags with new ones that pay homage to the community’s roots; for example, some banners feature Italian phrases such as “Ciao!” and “Piccola Italia.”

According to Childerhouse, “The festival would not have been the same if the tired banner flags had remained on the street.”

After the refurbishment of the streetscape and installation of banner flags, it was finally time for Little Italy to show off its fresh new face — which required attracting people to the area. The Preston Street BIA launched a robust marketing campaign that involved social media, advertising buys, video content and more than 400 professional photographs.

“Since March 2022, our following on Instagram has doubled,” says Childerhouse. “The return of our events and festivals brought with them unique opportunities for content, which saw increased engagement on all platforms.”

The festival was a massive success, with tens of thousands of people in attendance.

“The ability to gather, dine and celebrate with one another is such an important part of the Italian-Canadian community,” says Childerhouse. “It really meant a lot for people to see this special event return.”

The remaining My Main Street funds supported the design of an Italian-Canadian Heritage Mural, which will be unveiled in 2023. The design gives a nod to both local and broader Italian history and culture, featuring images of the first Italian restaurant on Preston Street, Roman columns, St. Anthony’s Church and a classic Italian sports car.

“Pageantry is one of the most elementary but vital things that a BIA does,” says Childerhouse. “No other body has the ability to bring vibrancy to city streets the way we do. The support from FedDev Ontario has allowed us to reimagine what pageantry looks like for Ottawa’s Little Italy and, as one board member put it, ‘to do it right!’”

Photo Credit: Mike Scherling (https://www.motionbymike.com/)

Photo Caption: "On a warm summer evening, a crowd of people dance in the middle of the Preston Street, the heart of Ottawa’s Little Italy."